'Swansea must rebuild to seal top-flight return'

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As fun as it was to walk around optimistically telling people that Swansea had only let themselves get into this situation in order to score 10 goals on the final day of the season, it was something of a joke, just like our campaign.

Ben Darvill

15th May 2018

Swansea needed a massive win, and they couldn’t get it, it was as simple as that. Stoke City were the visitors and they had not won a game in what seemed like years, but they left the Liberty Stadium with all three points, courtesy of a 2-1 win.

Swansea went down with a real whimper, with their final game encapsulating how awful their season has been. Stoke are not a side that you should get beaten by at home, and they have spent the entirety of this season struggling.

Their win over Swansea tells you all you need to know about the game, with it being a drab affair that just prolonged being given the ‘R’ next to our name in the table.

For 17 of the other teams in the league, this end of season review will be an enjoyable one but, honestly, this is one that is best gotten over with quickly.

Has this season been a success?

In a word, no. This season has been a horror show from start to finish. The losses of Gyfli Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente so late in the transfer window represented some of the most foolish business seen in the Premier League, with the Swans leaving themselves no time to bring in suitable replacements.

Having the goals and assists of the two torn away from the team was a major blow, and that is one of the biggest reasons as to why we were relegated.

Paul Clement was a man that kept the Swans alive last year, but it took too long to decide to get rid of him. The route one football and lack of any identity has been a major talking point amongst the fans, but if this change comes with wins, then it is not the worst thing. Of course, this did not happen.

Carlos Carvalhal’s appointment was one that brought wins and hope, but his luck stalled.

You could see relegation coming a long way off, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less, especially when taking Cardiff’s promotion into account. This season has been about as bad as it could get.

Are you happy with your manager?

Clement struggled massively this year without the right personnel. Llorente was perfect for the long ball game but left, and no real striker was brought in to replace him. Sigurdsson took all the creativity with him, and Clement had little to call on.

Carvalhal was brought in and looked to be guiding us to survival, but he hit a wall that saw us go down anyway. The manager had some massive highs, with wins over Liverpool and Arsenal, but the lows of double home defeats to Southampton and Stoke summed up our season.

After all, if you are given the chance to play two sides below you in the final two games to save yourself and you don’t, then you deserve to go down.

What should be the club’s priority in the transfer market this summer?

Rebuilding. Going down to the Championship is a horrible feeling, but it gives a team a superb chance to completely rebuild a squad.

Far too many Swansea players are not good enough to play in the Premier League, while they were not good enough to play for Swansea either.

Relegation means that the new manager can offload players that have underperformed, which allows new players that are eager to impress to come in and stake a claim.

Unfortunately, a new goalkeeper will be key as Lukasz Fabianski will not be at the club next season, he is far too good for the Championship.

A proper striker that can boss England’s second league with over 20 goals is important, while a new centre-half to replace Alfie Mawson, who will likely leave too, is crucial.

Another few central-midfielders and wingers to replace ageing players would be a positive move, but with the club’s hierarchy the way it is with zero money being spent, this seems unlikely.

What do you want to aim for next season?

Promotion. Swansea were never going to win the Premier League, but the Championship is a competition they can win.

Whether they do or not is another thing, but if they can keep the core of the squad and add some new additions then they will be far stronger for it.

In all honesty, I would just like to see money spent on the team. Too often the managers of Swansea have to contend with losing their best player, and their replacements are invariably not even half as good as the man they have lost.

A special mention for the season must go to one man: Fabianski. The goalkeeper has been immense all season and we would probably have been down months before had it not been for him.

We love you Fabianski. We want you to stay. But at the same time why would you want to with what’s in front of you! pic.twitter.com/RTwkKaLNk9

He has been awesome under the high ball and crosses, his footwork has been neat, and his leadership and conduct at the back has been exemplary.

The fact he was in tears at the final whistle as Swansea were relegated tells you all you need to know about a man that is far too good for the Championship, and the Swans. I honestly wish him all the best going forward as he could definitely play for a team competing in Europe.

There are some players in the squad that should probably take note of Fabianski’s reaction to going down, as he is clearly a man that gave everything for the club, and was let down by many of the players around him.

The chants of ‘we want you to stay, we want you to stay, Fabianski, we want you to stay’ shows you there are a lot of people in South Wales that agree with me on this.